PayPal sent collection letter to cancer victim: ‘we have received notice that you are deceased’

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

The grieving widower of a cancer victim was shocked when he received a collection letter from PauyPal demanding an outstanding payment of about $4,300.

Howard Durdle is still mourning the loss of his wife, Lindsey, who died on May 31 at age 37.

He was “floored” when he opened a letter addressed to his wife insisting she was in “breach” of her agreement with the online payment giant.

“Important: You should read this notice carefully,” the letter began. “You are in breach of condition 15.4(c) of your agreement with PayPal Credit as we have received notice that you are deceased … This breach is not capable of remedy.”

The letter demanded immediate payment of the overdue balance, even though Durdle closed out his wife’s account and notified PayPal that she died from breast cancer, according to the BBC.

Durdle even sent the company a copy of Lindsey’s death certificate, her Last Will and Testament and his identification.

PayPal apologized profusely after Durdle gave the letter to the BBC.

“We apologize to Mr. Durdle for the distress this letter has caused,” a spokesman said. “We are urgently looking into this matter, and are in direct contact with Mr. Durdle to support him.”

PayPal claimed the automated letter was a mistake, caused by either a bug, human error or a bad letter template, according to the BBC.

It wasn’t no damn mistake. I’m sure they’ve sent those letters to other people. It’s just that this man had the balls to go to the BBC with it.

FukkFolks2018

Aye. We heard you managed to die…but you still need to run us our coins.

Bastards

Readytochokemothernatureout

Right smh

?? Kari ?????????

Wow, just wow! I’ve never used PayPal, and now definitely won’t

Readytochokemothernatureout

Condolences to him, it’s the last thing on your mind a bill when suffering a loss…

Jennifer

BINGO!

WutizstillHERE!

They meant to do that. No template in this world is used to contact the dead..except a ouja board..

Yoni7

Sounds like some shit trump implemented.

MsChocolate

Ha!!

Roxie Moxie

I have an issue with this ENTIRE sentence:
“PayPal claimed the automated letter was a mistake, caused by either a bug, human error or a bad letter template”
___________________________________________
1) Automated letters….NOT automated mailings. Is there anyone who audits documents before dispersing out to customers? We have one at our company and we’re all the better for it.
2) A bug? So, this was your first encounter with this issue? I highly doubt it. Get Sanjay Pakash and Indira Gupta on the job STAT. (yeah, a little stereotypical, but aren’t most IT people from India?) lol
3) Bad Letter Template….a “template” is defined as (in this context) as a form or pattern that is used as a guide in which you can fill in variable parts…..sooooooo, you have these on deck, then? Which goes back to my first point of this not being their first rodeo. They tried it tho.

Wonder how many other folks they tried to dupe into this and actually got money. smh White collar crimes lowkey, I tell ya.

Mr.LeBrickJames

Wow. Shameless. You would think Paypal would have some kind of death insurance on each account so they could just collect from that if the person dies, instead of harassing the dead person’s family.

Skin Deep Beauty

Moving on… It was an error that has been cleared!

Mr.LeBrickJames

I’m sure there have been other families in the past who just sent Paypal a check and kept it moving. But this man went to the media and now they’re all embarrassed. smh

Candance

This could be a computer error. Once they received the letter she was deceased, clearly that information was entered in the system and the incorrect letter was sent out with that particular reason. I am happy that Paypal reached out and is attempting to make it right. To loose your souse at 37 and then to receive that type of letter can be really triggering. God bless the family involved!

Candance

1 and 3 I can see happening.

Roxie Moxie

As they should be! Fill me on paypal though and why they would owe them anything. I honestly don’t use it at all so I don’t know. I thought it was just a method of payment out of an account you set up. So why would they owe anything? Sorry for the dumb question…..lol

Roxie Moxie

This is why auditing is a God send. In the industry that I work in, everything gets audited. I audit customer contracts daily and before anything goes out shit better make sense. Things are triple checked around here. Internal control process should be tight so as to avoid unwanted lawsuits.

Mr.LeBrickJames

It started as just a method of payment to buy stuff online like on eBay etc. But they also have a Paypal credit card now which a lot people have.

Roxie Moxie

Ah, okay. I got it now. thanks!

TMW

Death doesn’t erase debt. In most instances, if a copy of the death certificate is provided, they will sometimes write off the debt, but a lot of times they won’t, especially if a spouse is identified as next of kin.

The letter may have been a little insensitive and clearly computer generated and probably in response to his notification. He’s shook and hurt right now, but business still has to be handled. Been there, done that.

justlooking

They are merciless…i tried to send someone 50.00 and they acted like they needed a blood sample.

Love PayPal because it is very thorough. I don’t like to shop at places that don’t accept It, and I do have the credit line because you can use it anywhere PayPal is accepted.

Anunnaki

I would have wrote back, call 777-7777, press the # key, wait for moses. Ask him to transfer u to the most high, once he gets on the line ask him, about a debt she owed, once completed send me a respond, so we can make sure her debt has been paid in full

I await your response
Signed
Concerned husband

Trace da Ace

#truth

Trace da Ace

hell yeah…and if the hubby did not complain…then they would have kept on harassing….trust me I was a bill collector in my younger days for 5 years…..they straight savages!

Shawty

cracking up

P0shzZ0la

This took place in England…get your countries right….!

Yoni7

You sound mad. Die, mutt!

P0shzZ0la

BWAHAHA.,.,,and you sound STUPID…GOOD BYE…!

Ghost

Glad this was cleared up….death of a spouse is stressful enough! RIP

Quitedeliteful

After my mom passed Lord & Taylor called me asking for her credit card to be paid off. I informed them that my mom was deceased and they asked if I could pay the bill. I told them that they could call 1-800-Heaven and ask for her….

Yoni7

Take care.

tintin

lmao..hhahahaha. 1 800 heaven, that’s a good one.
R,I.P to your mom.

tintin

when we die, are all of our debts erased?

starbright9449

Lol

Naomi

If you have a co-signer, no. Then they’re responsible for your debts.

Quitedeliteful

Get Sanjay Pakash and Indira Gupta on the job STAT.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snicker….

Quitedeliteful

LOLLOLLOLLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

starbright9449

Lmao

Quitedeliteful

Needless to say the operator was shocked. I never heard from them again either.

Tee Bullock

lmao, so true!

bemetoo

????

Rhondalousey

This money hungry bull is going to be the downfall of this country, mark my words. I still cant believe she died of breast cancer at 37. If they can make drugs for hiv why not cancer?

Connie

This is certainly not a laughing matter, but your response cracked me up. RIP to your mom.

justlooking

I sent them my Drivers Lic, social security card and something else. I was like fugg that…they doing tew much

Pamela

Sanjay Pakash and Indira Gupta.
Why do you hate Injins so much LMAO.

Pamela

I tried to send my baby brother $10.00 and Paypal kept freezing up on me till I gave up. Bastards.

Ricklaw

Who’s going to pay it

Ricklaw

My dad wanted to pay some off stuff my mom ordered and when she passed my dad wanted to pay it off I told him dont pay that shit they be alright

MsJC

Not student loans, your next of kin inherit those.

Stationarity

PayPal has a 90 days no interest credit line. I use it ALL the time and I have NOT paid one cent of interest yet.

Applebootay

How can you be …” in breach of a contract and …..”……………deceased at the same time? PAYPAL is the devil, I’ve had mad problems with them too. I’ve since canceled my account.

Applebootay

Its not really that clear unless we were there. Paypal is the devil, I do believe they meant to send it….of course they would love if the husbank would pay..

Music

Next of kin do not inherit student loans. Only if a person is a co-signer on the loan, then they’ll be responsible for repayment.

Applebootay

Same thing I thought….don’t sound like a mistake at all…

Applebootay

Same thing I thought….

Applebootay

Managed….

softness1

Give them the address to the cemetery. lol..

My oldest sister did that after my mother died. Her accts had been notified of her death in writing but a few kept calling and writing so after a while my sister just started giving them the address and telephone number to the cemetery. Plot # and everything…that stopped after that…lol

SumthinSweeter

Lol. Sis settled all that mess.

MsJC

Not true at all! I totally got a bill for my moms student loans in 2011 when she passed.

TMW

My aunt didn’t have any next of kin (no spouse, no kids) so most of her creditors wrote off her debt. However, when my husband died, he had a lease and they would not terminate the lease, because I as his spouse, assumed his debt. And I was not on the lease. I had to continue making payments on a vehicle that sat in the driveway for months…until I realized that his car was newer and now mine. My mind wasn’t right, if it was I would have had them call 1 800 heaven too.

J2PC

That is because she listed you as a contact person. Sending you bills meant for your mother doesn’t make you obligated to pay that bill.

TMW

Or it meant that you as the executor of her estate became responsible for her bills. But most times if there are no funds or assets in probate, you can send a copy of the death certificate and they will discharge the debt.

J2PC

This is true. You, as a spouse, inherited his debit as well as any possible assets. In this case, they knew you would be inheriting the vehicle. Therefore, it was only fair that you pay. However, he should have taking the option of paying small monthly insurance in the event of a catastrophic loss (injury/death), then that particular debt would be paid off.

MsJC

I was never a cosigner, she was in college before I was even born. According to their letter, I was my mom’s next of kin and therefore CA law says I am responsible for the balance. I was allowed to appeal the bill, I won. But they still sent me a bill.

Music

Did you co-sign? If not, then they tried to screw you over. They can’t force you to pay your mother’s student loans, if you’re not a co-signer. You have no attachment to the loans. They can send a bill for her estate to pay it, but her debt can’t be transferred to your name.

MsJC

No I did not cosign, my mom was in college and finished before I was born. The letter said under CA law I am the next of kin and the balance needs to be fulfilled by her next of kin me. I was able to appeal the bill and won, but I still got a bill.

MsJC

My mom had no estate and I was just the next of kin, nothing fancy.

TMW

I couldn’t inherit it because he didn’t own it. With a lease, the finance company technically owns the vehicle, so no title transfer can occur. And since it was not considered a catastrophic death, a claim could not be filed. In Michigan the lesser has insurance to protect against default, but there is no insurance provided in the event that the lessee cannot make payments. Since my name wasn’t on the lease, I could have left the truck on the lot let the loan default, but they probably would have sued. I still could have told them to try to reach him in heaven though.

Gingertee

Was it from the loan originator or a company that purchased the loan and was trying to make a profit?

Quitedeliteful

Very true. My father was alive at the time and he didn’t even know my mother had a L&T card so he wasn’t about to pay a bill for a person who was no longer on this earth.

Quitedeliteful

LOLLOLLOL!!!!!! 1-800- Heaven is the answer to all deceased debt.

Quitedeliteful

I still could have told them to try to reach him in heaven though.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LOLLOLLOLLOL!!!!!!

MsJC

I appealed the bill and won, so no I didn’t end up paying the bill. But they tried to make me responsible.

TMW

They should just accept the death certificate and write it off then.

Kayke

Business. Some folks have estate accounts and bills are usually paid from that so they have to make the attempt to collect. Its sad when folks pass and family members are left on the hook for the debts without having inherited income….. but it is what it is.

Logan Roberts

Insensitive bastards.

Miss K

Sorry about your Mom but I had to chuckle about that phone number ??

Rico768

So what. The estate still responsible for her bills. Why is he different

nick c

They also hold the money up forever collecting free interests on your transfers happen once with me never again.

nick c

As many have said this is standard practice my dad waited to the last week of the year to post his dads death in the paper so creditors only had a week to claim funds from the estate its a dirty business out here.

Crazy tee

Put everything down to your bank account in either your spouse or children’s name as they will take ownership due to your death “Now”….if not when you pass they will come for any and everything that was left in the deceased name…

Candance

Just thinking about it in a programming aspect… it makes sense. Could it be intentional of course, who knows these days !

Candance

That is so true. Then you look at the people that my company contracts with and the wrong stuff is sent often. I agree more things need to be triple checked especially relying on the computers automation is not always full proof.